MCLA Earns Split in Rainy MASCAC Opener

The Trailblazers opened the 2012 MASCAC conference with a split against Mass. Maritime today winning 5-3 and losing the rain-shortened second game 8-6.

Daniel Gaines cruised through six innings, before running into trouble in the seventh. He bore down though and pitched a complete game to even his record at 2-2.

MCLA scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first off Buccaneer starter Jared Lowe when Rory Slattery plated Chase Preite who had reached on an error leading off the inning.

MCLA tacked on two more in the third. Joe Duncan was on second with two out when Slattery delivered again with an rbi single to center-field.  Slattery would come home on a double by Cody Weaver, one of four hits on the day by Weaver and it was 3-0 MCLA after three innings.

MCLA struck for one in the fifth and one in the sixth, but left the bases loaded when Weaver grounded into a double-play.

That looked like it might be a big play when the Buccaneers scored three runs in a hurry in the top of the seventh off Gaines.  William Shouldice hit a two-run homer with one out and Mass Maritime brought the tying run to the plate after Matt Pelletier scored Tyler Genereux after Genereux reached on an error.

Gaines retired the next two batters via the strikeout and fly out and MCLA held on 5-3

Game two was played in a steady rain as the Buccaneers scored three runs early off MCLA emergency starter Ross Miner.

Bobby Rosano led off the game with a walk and went to third on a double by Bob Lee. Aram Mulhern singled in both and later came in himself on an rbi single by Shouldice.

MCLA responed with three in the second, and two in the third off starter Genereux. Preite had the big blow in the second clearing the bases on a triple to center-field. MCLA plated two in the third, as two Buccaneer errors on one play, scored two, allowing MCLA to surge ahead 5-3.

 Mass Maritime came right back tying the game in the fourth courtesy of rbi singles by Lee and Ben Maher. Maritime would go-ahead for good in the fifth with three more runs. Three hits by Zacary Cooney, Rosano and pinch-hitter Luke Kondrotas combined with two MCLA errors made it 8-5.

MCLA would get one back in the fifth when Chris Koch singled home Weaver.

The umpires decided to call the game after six innings and made a winner of Genereux. Miner took the loss.

Derek Lescarbeau reached base four times for MCLA on the afternoon.

Mass Maritime hosts Emerson next on Tuesday at 3:30PM and MCLA plays at Union Tuesday at 3:30PM.